


Here In The Garden

by DumbleBee



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandonment Issues, because yeah, idk if this title is taken already but im lazy and this works nicely, just in case, su spoilers for the movie, ya know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 02:24:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20574890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumbleBee/pseuds/DumbleBee
Summary: what i thought spinel and pink/rose's dynamic was like, along with some sadness at the endplease enjoy ;)also su spoilers for the movie in case you haven't seen it





	Here In The Garden

**Author's Note:**

> this is just a small lil something i wrote in one night, just cause i love spinel so much

Every gem has a different, specific purpose, something they’re  _ made  _ for. 

Rubies served to protect various precious gems. They weren’t smart, but they could fuse together, and become big and strong. Sapphires were valuable tools that could see the future. Their predictions were never wrong, and often helped win different battles and wars across space. Pearls served to be anything their master wished, and whether that was to be something pretty to look at or to simply provide information was up to the owner. 

Spinel’s purpose was to provide her best friend every happiness imaginable. She felt the need to do so woven into every inch of her soul. 

Every time Pink Diamond burst into laughter, her eyes watering from the sheer force of joy bubbling up inside, something would well up inside Spinel herself, a feeling of incredible satisfaction. 

_ I did that _ , she’d think over and over again.  _ I brought her that happiness.  _

It was enough to make her never want to leave Pink’s side. She never wanted to stop bringing a smile to her  _ best friend’s  _ face. 

Best Friend. What a wonderful thing that was. Hearing Pink refer to  _ Spinel _ as her  _ best friend _ often made Spinel’s face split into a grin so wide it made her cheeks burn. Just a few words from Pink and it was the greatest euphoria the gem had felt in her entire life.

Spinel was 1000% sure that that HAD to be proof that she and Pink were meant to be together forever. If they brought each other so much happiness then why wouldn’t they stay together? It was common sense.

Yes, Spinel’s purpose  _ was  _ to bring Pink Diamond every happiness imaginable, but she could tell it wasn’t something that was just programmed into her. It was a feeling, a  _ need _ that was created by Spinel, and it grew stronger every passing day.

  
  
  
  
  


The greatest day of Spinel’s life was the day she was first brought to The Garden. 

She and Pink warped in, Pink’s hands clasped together tightly as she waited excitedly to show off what she’d built for the two of them. 

Spinel’s eyes grew wide, taking in the sight. Every plant perfectly trimmed, every flower perfectly planted, the pathways perfectly paved, and the stars up above stretching to infinity. It was beautiful, and it was  _ theirs _ .

“Yellow and Blue kept getting annoyed when we played games in court or around them, and that gave me the idea to create this place!” She smiled at Spinel. 

“Oh, well gosh, it’s beautiful! You did this all for us?” 

“I did this all for  _ you _ !” Pink leaned down, suddenly a bit grimmer. “Which brings me to my next point. You’ll get to stay here, now! Instead of in my boring old room. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“It sure does! I can’t believe we get to stay here now!” Spinel was still marveling at the sight of The Garden and how  _ big _ it was. She could stay here for thousands of years and never get tired of its beauty. 

“Er—  _ you  _ get to stay here! I’ll still be in my old room—,” Spinel’s eyes widened, and the Diamond was suddenly cut off.

“We’ll be seperated?! How come?!” 

Pink sighed. “It’s just… Yellow and Blue think it’s a little… weird for us to spend every second together. They’ll never give me my own colony if I constantly fool around in front of them. I made this place specifically for games and playing so that they can’t say anything. Here, I’ll show you something!” She held out her hand gently, expecting the smaller gem to grab hold of it.

Spinel did so, and Pink led her to a nearby patch of flowers. 

“These little flowers are called ‘Forget-Me-Nots’! They symbolize eternal and undying love, isn’t that neat? Now even when we’re apart, these flowers will be here to remind you that I’ll always come back. No matter what.”

_ Forget-Me-Nots. _ Spinel began to tear up.

“Spinel? What’s wrong?” 

_ My best friend did this for me…  _

The small gem tried to speak through her tears.

“I’m just so  _ happy _ .”

  
  
  
  
  


It turned out that Pink was gone a  _ lot. _ At first it made Spinel worried, but one glance at those flowers cured her of any doubt that her BFF would soon return. 

Besides, even if Pink was absent, that didn’t mean that Spinel couldn’t put the time to good use.

She’d practice her various tricks, such as juggling or baton twirling, perfecting each and every detail. If her purpose was to entertain, then by golly, she was gonna be good at it!

She learned over 100 different twirls with her baton, she learned how to juggle up to 12 balls at once, and she could now do a headstand for 2 hours straight! All to make sure that when Pink came over she’d be as entertained as possible. 

And Pink did come over! She showed up more often when she was upset, looking for a friend. Those were the times when Spinel was so glad she learned all those new tricks.

Her diamond would show up, as glum as ever, but be doubled over with laughter after Spinel’s newest baton twirling routine!

Changing her frown into a smile was her greatest pleasure. 

  
  
  
  
  


One day, when Spinel was trying to beat her old headstand record, she heard the warp pad sound. 

She quickly hopped to her feet and raced to The Garden’s entrance, excited to see her playmate.

She wasn’t expecting to see her playmate and… a Pearl.

“Spinel! Look! I got a brand new Pearl! Isn’t she wonderful?”

Spinel looked the newcomer up and down. She was a perfect, model Pearl. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the fact that the Pearl could stay with Pink all the time, but if she made Pink happy then how could Spinel protest?

“She sure is!” Spinel let out a giggle. “What kind of games does she play?” She blinked up at the gem curiously.

The pearl looked worried. “Games? Should I play a game with you, My Diamond? What games would you like me to learn?”

Pink laughed lightly. “Oh no, you don’t have to learn any games, Pearl! Just be yourself!”

The Pearl looked undoubtedly relieved. 

Spinel scratched the top of her head. “Well, if she doesn’t know any games, how’s she supposed to play with us?”

Pink raised her eyebrows. “Oh, we can’t stay. I just wanted to introduce you two before we had to go to another meeting.”

Oh.

The goofy gem put on her best smile, happy to see her best friend anyways. 

“Well, golly! You sure are getting a lot of meetings these days! Did you get a colony or somethin’?” 

It was meant to be a joke, but the moment Pink’s expression darkened Spinel wished she could take it back.

“No.” She looked away.

Spinel laughed nervously, trying to unravel the sudden tension. “I’m sure you’ll get one soon! How could they keep saying no to you? I know I sure wouldn’t be able to!” 

Pink didn’t lighten up, but offered Spinel a sort of half-smile. “Well we’d better be going now.”

She turned and made her way back to the warp pad, Pearl trotting after her. 

“Aha! I’ll see you soon, best friend! Don’t have too much fun without—” Pink warped away. “—me….” 

Spinel went back to doing headstands.

  
  
  
  
  


Pink Diamond was getting harder and harder to cheer up. 

She was sitting in the garden, a few feet from the smaller gem juggling in front of her. 

Said gem was showing off her newest trick: juggling with 10 flaming torches! 

Her diamond didn’t seem entertained.

She didn’t even seem  _ happy _ .

That wasn’t right.

Spinel was supposed to make her  _ happy _ , why wasn’t she  _ happy _ —

“Is something wrong, Spinel? You stopped…”

Spinel looked up, and took a deep breath. “Well, gee, i’m sorry! I’ll restart!”

Pink held up a hand. “Actually, you don’t have to. I have a meeting with Yellow soon, anyways.” She stood. 

“But- But you just  _ got _ here! Are you sure you don’t wanna play anything else?” She blinked up at the Diamond hopefully.

Thankfully, Pink stopped and seemed to actually consider. 

“Hm…” Her face lit up, and Spinel’s knees almost buckled from the sight. “Actually, there was  _ one _ game I—”

A sudden beeping sound from nearby made her stop mid-sentence. It was a transmission.

“Pink, are you there? I have news for you.”

Pink gasped. “Yellow!” She made her way over to the transmission, leaving Spinel in the dust. 

Pink composed herself in front of the hologram and cleared her throat. “Yes, Yellow?”

“Oh- i’m here too, Pink!” Blue Diamond made herself known, stepping into the frame next to her Yellow counterpart. 

The smallest Diamond smiled nervously, standing at attention. 

Yellow continued. “It’s about your… recent request for a colony.”

Blue took a deep breath. “You’re getting a colony! Oh, congratulations, Pink! We’re so proud!”

The world seemed to still for a moment, Pink Diamond trying to keep her cool and not lose her composure. She smiled widely. 

“I- Er- Uh- Thank you! So much! I… I don’t know what to—” she was suddenly knocked off balance by her… best friend jumping onto her back.

“Yippee!!!” It took Pink a moment to realize what was happening. Spinel was acting so… so  _ unrefined _ in front of  _ Yellow and Blue _ . “A brand new place to play! I’m so excited!”

Pink laughed loudly and roughly, trying to regain what little composure she’d had. “R-Right, thank you again! I won’t let you down…” 

The transmission ended, and Spinel hopped back to the ground, dancing around her Diamond giddily. 

Pink tried to stifle a huff of annoyance. She mustered up a smile for Spinel, and started walking quickly away. 

“You heard them! I’ve got a colony to run now, so I’d better go!”

Spinel raced after her, a spring in her step. “Whoop Whoop! Our own colony! A whole new planet to explore!” She reached out and grabbed Pink’s hand, smiling up at her happily.

Pink stopped, scowling to herself. 

She slowly turned to Spinel, an idea forming in her head. She needed a break, just for a little while.

“Hey, remember that game I was talking about before the transmission?”

Spinel nodded enthusiastically.

“Boy, do I! I’ve been wonderin’ what that was!”

“Well, I have an idea! Right here, in The Garden, let’s play a  _ new  _ game!”

Spinel listened eagerly. 

“I’ll show you how it’s done! Just stand veeeery still, okay?” 

The small gem nodded happily. “This is gonna be so much fun!” 

Pink grimaced, feeling slightly bad. It would all be worth it in a few minutes, when she finally had some peace and quiet. 

“Just wait right there…” 

She stood, giving Spinel one last reassuring look before turning and making her way to the warp pad. 

Then she was gone. 

  
  
  
  
  


Spinel couldn’t believe she got to play a whole new game with Pink! And one Pink came up with, nonetheless!

Standing in the  _ perfect _ garden Pink made for her, she could hardly keep still, she was so excited!

She wondered what would happen in this new game. Maybe Pink would jump out at her any minute, scaring the  _ bejesus _ outta her! Wouldn’t that be funny!

She looked around anxiously for any sign of the Diamond, wondering where she’d jump out from. 

Maybe Pink wanted Spinel to look for her? Maybe  _ that _ was the game! Like hide and seek!

Except… She’d said to stand very still. Those were one of the rules! She couldn’t just break it or she could ruin the game! 

And this was  _ Pink’s  _ game! She couldn’t let herself ruin it!

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


864,000 seconds since the game began. 

This really  _ was  _ an  _ interesting _ game! It was fun  _ sometimes _ , like at the beginning when she thought Pink would jump out at her for sure!

But Pink didn’t jump out, and that made her even  _ more _ curious about what was going to happen!

Was Pink trying to see how long she could stand there? Would the moment Spinel moved signal the end of the game? Would Spinel lose?

No way. Spinel couldn’t let that happen! She was the  _ master _ of games! She wouldn’t lose after 864,041 measly seconds!

So she stood there.

  
  
  
  
  


8,812,800 seconds since the game began.

She’d taken to star gazing in her spare time, naming each individual star and creating stories about them in her head. 

Stories of best friends going on adventures across the galaxy. They’d have so much fun together!

It only made her cherish her friendship with Pink even more. 

Although she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of game this actually was. 

Spinel had decided that she’d go with the “if I move, I lose” option, because that’s really all she currently had to go on. 

She couldn’t risk losing the game like that! 

She was positive Pink would come back any day now, and that they could go on adventures together, just like the stars. 

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


157,784,760 seconds since the game began. 

Things were really starting to slow down now. There were only so many stars that Spinel could see from where she was standing! Plus, she had the  _ worst _ crick in her neck! 

_ Just stand veeeery still, okay? _

Those were Pink’s instructions. Of course, she still blinked, and if she had a  _ really bad  _ itch then, yeah, she scratched it!

But that didn’t count or anything. She’d be out if she jumped, or did a cartwheel, or juggled, or did anything fun at all… 

Woah, where had that come from? She was playing a game right now! That  _ was  _ fun! 

This was her  _ best friend’s  _ game! She shouldn’t berate it like that!

That’s not what a best friend would do! 

Even though it was a bit dull.

She’d be sure to tell Pink once she got back. Then Pink could improve the game! And they could play it all the time together!

That would be so much fun! 

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


473,354,280 seconds since the game began. 

The crick in her neck was gone. It had just gone away by itself eventually, which was great news!

Now Spinel could comfortably win the game!

She couldn’t wait to see the impressed look on Pink’s face once she came back and realized that Spinel hadn’t lost! 

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


1,577,847,600 seconds since the game began. 

Or, somewhere around there. Honestly, Spinel lost track a few times, so that number might not even be accurate!

Gee, she really hoped that wasn’t part of the game! 

  
  
  
  
  


3,155,695,200 seconds since the game began. 

The Garden really wasn’t looking as beautiful as she remembered. Everything was falling into disrepair… 

Flowers were wilting, grass was overgrown, vines were becoming unaesthetic altogether! 

Though, she supposed it probably wouldn’t matter once Pink came back and took her to the new colony for good. 

Then she could leap and do cartwheels and stretch and juggle and twirl batons all she wanted!

So why did she feel upset?

This was Pink’s game. This was her and Pink’s place. Pink made this entire garden just for  _ Spinel. _

Why wasn’t Spinel grateful? Why wasn’t she happy to be playing Pink’s game?

Spinel wanted to make Pink happy! If this would make Pink happy then she would gladly do it, 100 times over! 

Anything for her best friend!

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


15,778,476,000 seconds since the game began. 

Or, 500 years. 

This was officially their longest game! 

It had been their longest game for years now. 

Spinel started renaming stars. 

The adventures she played out in her head nowadays were a lot more… mundane.

Instead of traveling around the galaxy, they’d travel around the world!

And wouldn’t that be nice? To go and travel around the world! 

Or at least the garden.

_ Pink said to stand still. That’s part of the game! You’ve stuck it out until now, and all of a sudden you want to quit? _

_ Would that make her happy? _

Spinel decided that, no, it probably wouldn’t. 

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


31,556,952,000 seconds since the game began. 

She was anxious. She was  _ always _ anxious. 

Where was Pink? Why wasn’t she back yet? Had something happened? What was going on?

_ Is this a game? _

Pink was her best friend, so why wasn’t she back yet? 

_ What if she’s not coming back? _

As soon as the thought enters her mind, she pushes it away.

That wasn’t possible. Why wouldn’t Pink come back?

They were best friends!

Spinel only wanted her to be happy, why wouldn’t Pink come back for her?

She devoted her entire life to Pink. She tried her hardest to make her smile, to make her laugh, to make her  _ happy. _

_ She wouldn’t just leave me here. _

Perhaps this was a test of friendship? 

If Spinel moved, after Pink told her not to, maybe Pink really  _ would  _ abandon her.

She’s just trying to see how far her best friend will go for her!

And Spinel would go to the end of the universe for her Diamond.

She would prove it.

So she stood there.

  
  
  
  
  


94,670,856,000 seconds since the “game” began. 

Or as Spinel now referred to it: The Test Of Friendship.

Every time a thought entered her head that maybe, just  _ maybe,  _ Pink left her there, she’d shake her head vigorously.

She’d think of the Forget-Me-Nots. Pink planted those flowers for Spinel. So that Spinel wouldn’t feel lonely when she was away.

Of course, the flowers were long gone by now. They’d wilted away years ago.

Still, that didn’t stop Spinel from remembering what Pink had said about them. 

_ They symbolize eternal and undying love, isn’t that neat? Now even when we’re apart, these flowers will be here to remind you that I’ll always come back. No matter what. _

Pink would come back. She said so herself.

She’d come back, and then Spinel would get to put a smile on her face again.

She’d come back and then Spinel would get to sing and dance for her again.

She’d come back and then Spinel would get to do  _ anything _ for her.

_ Anything at all.  _

_ Please. _

So she stood there. 

  
  
  
  
  


189,846,623,232 seconds since the “game” began. 

The plants had grown  _ over _ her feet.

It was fine. It would keep her from moving and ruining her and Pink’s friendship.

Soon enough Pink would come back.

Soon enough Pink would come back. 

Soon enough Pink would come back.

Soon enough Pink would come back.

Soon enough Pink would come back.

Soon enough Pink would come back. 

Soon enough—

Her train of thought was cut short by a strange beeping nearby. 

She turned her head, wincing at how stiff her neck felt. 

A… transmission… 

A transmission.

A transmission!

Probably from Pink, telling her that she’d passed the test and now they’d be able to play together again and—

The person who showed up on the screen was  _ not _ Pink.

It was White Diamond.  _ The  _ White Diamond. 

And she was going on and on about some… story. About Pink Diamond.

About Pink being…  _ non-existent…? _

But that didn’t make any sense.

Pink having a  _ son _ didn’t make  _ sense _ .

What about Spinel? What about her best friend, Spinel? 

Why wouldn’t she tell her  _ best friend _ , Spinel?

Why would she travel the earth with that  _ Pearl _ , while leaving Spinel in the garden?

Why wouldn’t she tell her  _ best friend? _

Spinel could only watch as a single transmission jerked her entire world upside down, leaving her floundering, not understanding what was going on.

The transmission showed Pink’s  _ son,  _ half  _ human _ , going on and on about how _ happy  _ he was. 

How  _ happy  _ he was with his friends, Pink’s friends, Pink’s  _ new friends, Pink’s other friends, Pink’s new best friends— _

How  _ happy _ he was with his  _ new friends on earth where they all lived happily ever after, without Spinel, why wouldn’t they bring Spinel, why wouldn’t they tell her?  _

_ Why did they leave her here? _

_ Was this a joke? _

She tried to get her bearings, blinking away the fog of 6,000  _ years,  _ trying to  _ move _ , to get closer to the transmission  _ ruining her life _ .

The vines that had grown around her over the years resisted, not wanting to be uprooted. The feeling of not being able to move, even when she  _ wanted  _ to caused Spinel to panic, ripping her foot up suddenly and harshly. 

Now free, she paused for a moment, tears stinging her eyes. 

Then she was running, as fast as she could after not moving for  _ 6,000 years _ — 

The transmission ended, leaving her alone again, and she couldn’t help the feeling of panic and anxiousness rising inside her chest. The feeling brought her to her knees.

Now that Pink was gone she had nowhere to go, no other friends. Pink was her whole world and now she was  _ gone? _

What was Spinel supposed to do?

_ Maybe this was a game after all.  _

_ Oh, look at Spinel, can you believe that she’s still waiting? Let’s see how long it’ll take before she notices! Spinel is so gullible, she’ll probably wait forever. It’ll be more fun to just burst the bubble! _

Why should  _ they _ have a happily ever after after what they’ve done? Why should  _ they _ get to live happily with their friends while making Spinel wait for someone who was never going to come back?

_ They _ were all living happily, laughing and playing on earth without her.

Spinel was going to fix that. 

**Author's Note:**

> yknow i really felt the 6,000 years thing while writing this
> 
> my writing tumblr is dumblebumblebee
> 
> the tumblr where i rant about spinel is bacon-and-yeggs


End file.
